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Madison County, Missouri
Madison County is a county located in the Lead Belt region in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 11,800. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 12,276. Its county seat and largest city is Fredericktown . The county was officially organized on December 14, 1818, and was named after President James Madison. Mining has been a key industry in this area with Madison County recorded as having the oldest lead mine west of the Mississippi River. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 square miles (1,289 km²), of which, 497 square miles (1,287 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.17%) is water. Adjacent counties *St. Francois County (north) *Perry County (northeast) *Bollinger County (east) *Wayne County (south) *Iron County (west) Major highways * U.S. Route 67 * Route 72 National protected area *Mark Twain National Forest (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 11,800 people, 4,711 households, and 3,330 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 5,656 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.30% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,711 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,421, and the median income for a family was $37,474. Males had a median income of $27,670 versus $15,909 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,825. About 12.80% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Education Of adults 25 years of age and older in Madison County, 68.6% possesses a high school diploma while 7.8% holds a bachelor's degree as their highest educational attainment. Public Schools *Fredericktown R-I School District - Fredericktown **Fredericktown Elementary School (PK-02) **Fredericktown Intermediate School (03-05) **Fredericktown Middle School (06-08) **Fredericktown High School (09-12) *Marquand-Zion R-VI School District - Marquand **Marquand-Zion Elementary School (K-06) **Marquand-Zion High School (07-12) Private Schools *Faith Christian Academy - Fredericktown - Baptist Politics Local Politics at the local level in Madison County is mostly controlled by the Democratic Party. In fact, all but five of Madison County's elected officeholders are Democrats. State Madison County is a part of Missouri’s 156th Legislative District and is currently represented in the Missouri House of Representatives by Shelley Keeney (R-Marble Hill). In 2008, Keeney defeated Michael Winder (D-Marquand), an ironworker, by 8.36 points—54.18-45.82 percent. Madison County, however, narrowly backed native son Winder by just over 100 votes with 51.44 percent of the vote to Keeney’s 48.56 percent. The 156th District consists of all of Madison and Bollinger counties as well as most of Wayne County. Madison County is also a part of Missouri's 27th Senatorial District and is currently represented by State Senator Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau). In 2008, Crowell defeated Linda Sanders (D-Jackson) by almost a two-to-one margin, 64.24-35.76 percent. Madison County backed Crowell with 57.31 percent while Sanders received 42.69 percent. The 27th Senatorial District consists of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Mississippi, Perry, and Scott counties. In Missouri's gubernatorial election of 2008, Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon (D) defeated former U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof with 58.40 percent of the total statewide vote. Nixon performed extremely well and won many of the rural counties in the state that tend to have a Republican lean, including Madison County. Nixon carried Madison County with 54.29 percent of the vote to Hulshof’s 43.13 percent. Federal In the U.S. House of Representatives, Madison County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District. Political Culture At the presidential level, Madison County is a fairly independent county or battleground. Unlike many rural counties which tend to be Republican strongholds, voters in Madison County have seldom been lockstep in their voting tendencies. While George W. Bush carried Madison County both times in 2000 and 2004, Bill Clinton also carried the county both times in 1992 and 1996. Like many rural counties in Missouri in 2008, voters in Madison County favored John McCain over Barack Obama, although not as strongly as most of the other rural counties throughout the state. Like most rural areas, voters in Madison County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which strongly influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Madison County with 84.78 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Madison County with 57.60 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Madison County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Madison County with 74.43 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage. 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary, voters in Stoddard County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. Republican Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) won Madison County with 43.96 percent of the vote. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) finished in second place in Madison County with 35.48 percent. Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) came in third place, receiving 14.52 percent of the vote while libertarian-leaning U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) finished fourth with 4.00 percent in Madison County. Huckabee slightly led Missouri throughout much of the evening until the precincts began reporting from St. Louis where McCain won and put him over the top of Huckabee. In the end, McCain received 32.95 percent of the vote to Huckabee’s 31.53 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. McCain received all of Missouri’s 58 delegates as the Republican Party utilizes the winner-take-all system. Democratic Former U.S. Senator and now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) won Madison County by more than a two-to-one margin over now President Barack Obama (D-Illinois). Clinton carried Madison County with 68.72 percent of the vote while Obama only received 24.35 percent of the vote. Although he withdrew from the race, former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) still received 4.53 percent of the vote in Madison County while 1.56 percent voted uncommitted. Clinton had a large initial lead in Missouri at the beginning of the evening as the rural precincts began to report, leading several news organizations to call the state for her; however, Obama rallied from behind as the heavily African American precincts from St. Louis began to report and eventually put him over the top. In the end, Obama received 49.32 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 47.90 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. Both candidates split Missouri’s 72 delegates as the Democratic Party utilizes proportional representation. *Hillary Rodham Clinton received more votes, a total of 971, than any candidate from either party in Madison County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primaries. References Category:Counties of Missouri Category:Madison County, Missouri